The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
The trend of automatic motor vehicle transmissions for passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and other consumer vehicles from substantially full hydraulic operation to operation under the control of an electronic transmission control module (TCM) and hydraulic actuators has been accompanied by both the desire and necessity of providing electronic linear position sensors which provide real time data to the transmission control module regarding the current positions of the actuators, the associated shift linkages and the clutches, brakes and gears acted upon. Such data is utilized by the transmission control module to confirm, for example, the commencement and completion of a shift and thus the overall state of the transmission. Such data is also useful for self-diagnosis of impending or actual component failure.
This trend has not been taken up by the other significant class of motor vehicle transmissions, namely, manual transmissions. As the name suggests, such transmissions are manually shifted by the vehicle operator. Since shift timing and gear selection are left to the vehicle operator, the incorporation of various sensors in a manual transmission has been viewed as not only unnecessary but as an invasion of the operator's freedom.
Nonetheless, it is apparent that data regarding the current operating state of a manual transmission can be utilized by associated electronic controllers to improve the overall driving experience. The present invention is so directed.